➡ Check out my New Tool that makes learning Photoshop Elements Super Easy! Here is my video about it on my HTG Photo channel th-cam.com/video/-cJ2AviZNI8/w-d-xo.html
This tutorial was super helpful. Thanks for posting it. Everyone has their own favorite way to do things in Photoshop Elements, but yours made the most sense. My photo was more complicated than your example, but with your instructions combined with what I had already fumbled through on my own I was able to finish a project that is the first of many to come. I'll be able to complete the next batch of edits with more speed and confidence. Thank you!
I just want to thank you for taking the time to make this video .... so helpful to me .... and just wanted to add my note of gratitude and send all my best wishes for you in the new year ....
I find your tutorials very thorough and helpful. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise. Of all the tutorials I have been watching, yours are the best.
Just followed your instructions for Photoshop Elements 2022. Worked like a charm. The only difference that I found, is "Refine Edge" is just a button at the bottom of the screen on 2022, rather than in the "Select" option at the top. Other than that, it was pretty straight forward. Thanks for the video.
Hi, the Refine Edge is both places, a button at the bottom in the Select Options panel and in the Select Menu. I often show menus instead of buttons to clarify the tool.
@@HTGGeorge You should also do a PS Elements video on how to remove glare from glasses as they seem to be scarce at the moment. The only tutorials that there are drag on and are too long winded.
Depending on the photo removing glare from glasses can be either impossible or extremely hard. The problem is you need to replace the missing image information from somewhere. You can't just remove the glare.
Great videos. Does your complete PE 2021 Course have all the subjects similar to what was covered on this and other videos? I'd also like to add signatures to my pix. Does your course teach this technique?
Hi Larry, my TH-cam videos teach specific projects, the course teaches the program. So it is a different approach. Here is a video on placing watermarks on photos th-cam.com/video/5HK3JnZ2pz4/w-d-xo.html
Hello George. As regards my problem with Lasso Tool & Space Bar, i have now got it and changed a background so due to your video all is now OK. ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU.
Again you make it all look so easy, George. And yes, replacing the background is straightforward enough. However, with me it's always the lasso tool - polygonal or otherwise - combined with the refine edge that I continue to have problems with. Maybe, just maybe I'll get there eventually, but at the moment it is a source of irritating frustration!
Hi Peter, the problem with the Refine Edge tool is that it only works effectively about half of the time. If you replace the background with something else that is similar in color it is better. Works great if you are just using the refine edge to separate out the foreground subject so that you can blur the background. In that instance the foreground and background colors match so you won't see any haloing effects. Any picture can be masked out using the right combination of tools, the real question often comes down to "is it worth it?". The best thing is to try and use a new background that is similar in color and values to the removed background, replace a bad sky with a good sky for instance. The thing with the refine edge tool is that it will add a slight fringe to the edge of the selection, that is just how it works, so you need to deal with that fringe somehow. In my Green Screen video I use the color replace tool to change the color of that fringe to match the color of the foreground subject. In other videos I have darkened down that fringe using the Burn tool. All depends on the image and the new background. George
Hi I have enjoyed watching your video, I'm thinking of getting PSE 2021 as my PS is very old and basic. One thing I was wondering was when you remove the background from the dog, can you save a copy of the dog on a transparent background for future use in other images?
Sure, either save the file as a psd file (the default format for Photoshop Elements) so that you save it as a layer. Or save the file as a png file with transparency, that can be used in other programs.
Gosh George you make that look so easy... I have a dog that has wild hair when she was pup and I have tried numerous times to do the refine edge and I just can't get it... I'll take your suggestion and keep on practicing. Thanks for another cool video.
Hi Debra, to make the Refine Edge work well you need good separation between the foreground subject and the background. That isn't always possible and the Refine Edge does not always work well. Here is another video to take a look at that deals with fur and has a little trick that may help you with your dog. th-cam.com/video/Dtu_gPY_j7k/w-d-xo.html George
The green along the edge is bleed through from the original green background. The easiest thing to do with white fur is to just desaturate the edge using the sponge tool, turning that green into gray which is unnoticeable.
So, I followed the steps (just want to learn some basics here but will for sure subscribe to your PSE course!). I followed steps to remove background, did the refine and it worked perfectly (so easy to follow), but I have two additional areas on the image that need the same treatment. (spaces between hands). Help me out here so I can get the basics down on this one image?
Hi, here is a video where I make a selection around an object, then I extend that selection into an interior space. th-cam.com/video/c8amKiefNps/w-d-xo.html
This was so awesome and helpful!! Thank you!! I do have a question. My background that I opened into the background was not big enough just as your background wasn't. In the video, you made the dragged the edges of the background. My background automatically attached to the background and won't allow me to stretch it until it fits the picture background. What am I doing wrong?
Very useful. I have been looking for some time to find a tutorial that explains removing backgrounds. Nothing has come close to your tutorial, many thanks.
You're welcome Phil, This is a good basic tutorial on one of the most useful tricks in image editing. Loads of my videos use some variation on removing/replacing backgrounds. This time I thought I would limit it to just the technique so that I could give it proper attention. George www.howtogurus.com
I found your approach very interesting but in some of your presentation I, instead of painful initial lasso tool, use Select /Object then Select/Modify (expanded by 10 pixels). After that I use Select/Refine Edge (size 30). The following steps are exactly the same as you suggests.
The Select Object tool is a great new feature, but this video is aimed at all users of Photoshop Elements, not just the people who have the latest version. I tend to stay away from new features in my videos for that specific reason, because most people don't have the latest version.
@@HTGGeorge You do not need to explain yourself. I am not criticizing just the opposite. I think you a great teacher, and I really appreciate your videos and training. I hope, however, you are not against a student, like me, sharing a tool or an idea or a hint useful for other users. BTW I noticed that the video was published in 2017 when probably the Select Object option was not available.
@@richardchelstowski2191 Thanks Richard, I often do longer explanations in my comment replies for the large number of people who read the comments. I love to hear tips and suggestions in the comments and I usually just say Thanks! but I felt that your comment could have scared off a beginning user who didn't have the latest version of Photoshop Elements, so I was just reassuring the audience that I try to keep my videos backwards compatible. I did a video on the Select Subject tool late last year.
@@HTGGeorge And I thank you for not using the newest tools in your tutorials, since I am still using PSE 13. Thank you for keeping your videos backwards compatible.
Hi George, I loved this video and checked out your courses. I just purchased Photoshop Elements 2021 and I'm wondering if you will offer a course for it? Or will the PE 2020 course be close enough?
Thanks for all your hard work. One suggestion, when you state a preference, like the choice of the orange overlay, it helps my understanding of the software to know your reasons for that preference. I also must confess I don't get how the refine edge works. Actually layer masks in general. I don't get how the program knows to ignore the dog's hair in this case and hide the space in between. I'm guessing it is something simple but still I'm not getting it.
Hi Tim, my choice of the orange overlay is just a personal preference. Refine Edge looks for hard edge changes in color and contrast. It doesn't know that it is a dog or that it is hair. But the Refine Edge in Adobe Photoshop does understand that stuff as it has AI which was trained with millions of photos to understand what is in a photo. Layer Masks are easy, think of it as a pane of glass. If the glass is painted black you can't see through it, the white would be clear, and any level of gray is the same thing as thinning out the black paint until you can begin to see through it. Nothing more complicated than that.
Thanks for the instructions. I have PSE 2020 and followed your steps but when I get to the new layer with mask my original picture stays the same I don't have the gray and white grid behind it, but it does show in my layer tool bar that I have a masked layer...hope that makes sense...haha. Could you please tell me what I did incorrectly?
Hi Laura, I am guessing that you have both layers showing. The original background layer and the new duplicated layer with the layer mask. Try hiding the background layer.
George, Thank you for your excellent videos, I am learning a lot from you! Can you please tell me, how do you change the background in multiple areas? I've got a photo that has a couple of little areas (the subject has her hands on her hips) that I'm unsure of how to work. I appreciate any help you can give me! I also subscribe to your PSE2021 training if the answer if found there. Thanks!
Hi Diane, it is all done when you are making the original selection. After doing the selection around the subject change the setting for the selection tool in the options panel below the picture to Subtract and use the same tool to outline the area you want to remove from the selection. Once that is done you can then do the Refine Edge bit. This video shows that th-cam.com/video/Kx4rWQLOnzo/w-d-xo.html
George, Great tutorial on using the refine edge tool. It's a real game changer when making selections. I have a question which is unrelated to this tutorial, but perhaps you may have a tutorial in your playlist that I couldn't seem to find. It's related to the image of the dog; more specifically the green under the dog's chin. I have several dog images with the same exact green tone under the dog's chin. Is this what is known as a color cast? If so, do you have a tutorial how to remove a color cast? If not, perhaps that could be a subject for a future tutorial. Roger
Thanks Roger! on the green picked up from the grass in the photo, that is pretty easy to fix. I don't have a video on that specific problem with a dog like this but I do have a video on removing a green screen from behind a person which does show how to correct for the green spill onto the subject (basically same problem with the dog). Look towards the end of the video after the background has been removed. th-cam.com/video/LlRJPHmMrH8/w-d-xo.html George
George, I just watched your video from the link above and I believe I should be able to fix my dog images with the suggestions you provided in the tutorial. Thanks, Roger
Hi George. I picked up a little better understanding about the refine edge tool from this tutorial. Thanks. And thanks for letting us with PSE know there are certain situations where the refine edge tool will not work, even for a skilled master of PSE like you. After watching many of your tutorials with the lasso tool and after watching InfoPuppet's tutorial using the magnetic lasso tool, I was wondering if you could do a tutorial when it is best to use the regular lasso tool, the magnetic lasso tool and the polygonal lasso tool. I have seen you use the regular and polygonal lasso tools but never the magnetic lasso tool. Are there any situations you would use the magnetic lasso tool?
Hi, I stay away from the magnetic lasso tool because I have never had an instance where it did a good job. It is a cool idea but you need a perfect photo for it to work, good contrast and color separation between foreground and background images. It also tends to round out corners. I use the regular lasso tool for quick selections where I plan to finish it with refine edge, I use the polygonal lasso tool when that will be my final selection or where the subject has lots of straight edges. The magnetic lasso is one of those "auto" tools in Photoshop Elements that are designed to make things easier. I prefer tools that make things better, don't really care about easier. That is also why you will rarely see me using one of the Guided Edit features either, except where there is no choice like the Panorama tool or the new Custom Frame tool. George
Great video thank you. I have same issue as SJ Owen and also, when I place my edited image over another image in 'pages' it has a grey edge around which doesn't look great.
Hi Richard, the "fringing" or "halo" effect is due to picking up some of the background right around the subject as you remove the background. There are several ways to fix this, one is to make your feathering smaller on your selection. Whenever you feather a selection it blurs the selection both in and out from the selection and this can pick up some background. Here is a video where I talk about this problem: th-cam.com/video/xsJISxF_k4I/w-d-xo.html George
George, great video I have just acquired the product and followed your instructions to the T. The problem that I have is that when I selected the "Refine Edge" /view option / Overlay my photo color has now changed to total red! Why would this be and how do I fix this? I cannot attach a screenshot else I would have shown you what it did!
Hi Jakkie, the red look is the layer mask shown as a red overlay. This is the way I normally work with Refine Edge as it makes it easy to see where the layer mask is being applied and is how I show it in the video. But you don't have to use the red overlay if you don't want to, there is a drop down list at the top of the Refine Edge dialog box that lets you view the layer mask in several different ways. George
Hi Veniece, the refine edge tool isn't perfect and it often has trouble on edges that are too similar to the background. But you can easily clean up the layer mask once it is made. Just click on the layer mask side of the layer, look for a light blue outline around the layer mask to show that it is selected, then use black or white paintbrush to adjust the mask. Black hides, and White shows. You can also make the layer mask full screen by holding down the alt key and clicking on the layer mask in the layer menu. To get back out of the layer mask just click on a different layer.
Really helpful video, thanks.. I've search for this long time.. I just have a quas. when i did al this .. how can i move this element that i just remove in other corner or somewhere else? Thanks, Taša
Hi Sasa, since the dog with the clear background is on its own separate layer, just move it around where you like by using the Move tool (upper left corner in tool bar) George
Hi, this video is demonstrated in Photoshop Elements, no need for Premiere Elements. The Premiere Elements software program is Adobe's Video Editing partner for Photoshop Elements. It is a very nice video editor but not needed unless you do video editing. George
Cheers George. Is this the same principle for removing the background of text that you created in photoshop elements? Do you have a tutorial based on removing the background from text? Thanks in advance.
Hi, when you create text in Photoshop Elements it goes on its own layer with no background. So to remove the background simply hide the background layer by clicking on that eye icon on the background layer. George
Hi, this video uses Refine Edge to help make the layer mask. Refine Edge first appeared in Photoshop Elements 13 so this video will work with Photoshop Elements 13 and newer. George.
I am using PSE 2019 but your 2017 video still comes top in a TH-cam search for removing backgrounds in PSE! I am finding that Refine Edge is doing something different and I can't work out if that is a setting I am missing or a change in how the software works. Using the Refine Edge tool, I have checked that the visible settings are the same as yours and when I stroke the brush to extend my selection area the background area correctly increases size where the brush has covered. However, when I take my finger off the mouse button, that increase is lost. What am I missing please? Many thanks for the video and your follow up help! Nick
Hi Nick, this is a very popular video so it places well on TH-cam. When using the Refine Edge tool what you are doing with the brush is telling Photoshop Elements where you want it to re-examine the edge. It will not be putting the edge where you are painting but it will find what it considers the correct edge somewhere within where you painted with the brush. Often times though the Refine Edge is not the correct tool to use, depends on the photo. It worked out well with the image in the project and often is a great tool, but it doesn't always work well. Take a look through my Playlist on changing backgrounds, you will see several different techniques and one of them may work better for you than the Refine Edge tool th-cam.com/play/PLfp-NJt_DpgEo3RRzfzSLZZCyNZhdLfle.html George
Hi George, after cutting out the background, how can I save the image to be used in another layered template and add it to that as a new layer? Thank you.
Hi Derrick, if the image is on one layer then you can simply use the Select menu to Select All, then Edit/Copy. Now open up your other file and Edit/Paste
Hello George. Please can you tell me why when using the Lasso Tool my marquees return to the start when i have to stop and hold down my space bar down and restart after moving my picture about.
Hi Robin, keep the mouse key held down then hold down the space bar to temporarily get the hand tool to move the picture around. Then let go of the space bar and you are back to the lasso tool. If you lift up on the mouse button the lasso selection will automatically close itself back to the beginning, so keep that mouse button held down the whole time until you complete the selection. George
Hi, very informative and have learnt a lot! However, the refine edge tool does not eliminate - it leaves part of it still there no matter how many times I go over it. The settings are the same as in your demo - any suggestions? Thank you
Hi Helen, the Refine Edge tool is not perfect, it looks for differences in color and contrast to find the edges. If your edge is similar to the background Refine Edge can have trouble cleaning up that edge. One trick you can use which sometimes works is to make a duplicate layer of your image and increase the contrast on that layer to make the edge more distinct, use Refine Edge on that layer and output to a Selection. Then move to your desired layer and hit the Layer Mask button, that will make a layer mask from the selection. There will be times though when Refine Edge will simply not be able to fix part of an edge, when that happens you will need to go in and manually fix that part. I like to make the Layer Mask first then do this type of cleanup on the Layer Mask. George
This is really a great video! But I must be doing something wrong. I had already made a lot of adjustments to my image in the layers panel before starting the process in this video. I made a composite layer and worked from that. When I got to the end and selected "New Layer with Mask" it did not create a transparent background. Maybe I need to flatten my image first instead of making a composite layer and starting the process in this video? Do you think that is why it did not make a transparent background at the end? Thanks so much! (I'm using PSE 13)
Make sure you hide the layers below your new composite layer. If you add transparency to the composite layer you will now be seeing the layers underneath.
Hi Lencho, sorry, nothing like that. With Silkscreen you need to separate out the image into several Black and White images, one for each color needed. If you are using custom ink colors then you can do that in Photoshop Elements by using the Magic Wand and Layer Masks and making a new layer for each color then converting those layers into Black and White and printing out each one separately as a transparency. But if you want to reproduce Photos or you want to use the standard CMYK inks you will need to use a more advanced program like Adobe Photoshop which has the ability to separate the image out into its different color channels and has CMYK mode. George
Great tutorial. My problem in doing this is some of the pictures I'm trying to remove background from have shadows and the software thinks the shadow is part of the picture. Remove shadow = remove picture. I just don't have enough experience to deal with this.
The solution then is to manually make a careful selection of the subject, don't rely on Photoshop Elements automated tools or the magic wand. Use the polygonal lasso instead.
@@HTGGeorge I will give that a try this evening. Thank you. I sure appreciate the feedback. I will be checking out more of your videos. I mostly deal with padlocks and keys far as photos go for use in thumbnails for my videos
Really, really helpful, thank you! I am working on a project with products, what is the technique if you do not want a back ground at all just the image, jpeg? I have Photoshop elements 13 :) Thank you in advance!!!!
Hi, first just take the project through where you remove the original background. Then you will need to save to a GIF or PNG file format. JPEG does not support transparency and will fill that with white. George
Hi, use Save in the File Menu to save to the default Photoshop Elements file. And then use Save As to save to a different format if you need to. Of course you can always print right from the Photoshop Elements file as well. George
Sure Tracy, just save to a format that supports transparency like Gif or PNG. Saving to a JPG will replace the transparency with your current background color. George
How To Gurus thanks George not sure if I was using the edge refine correctly, but on some areas there was some of the background left once I went around. Is this where the refine edge would not work?
Hi Tracy, the Refine Edge tool is not perfect and I usually use that as only one of my techniques when creating a Layer Mask. Here is another video showing how to change a background. th-cam.com/video/YKG0YrUgql4/w-d-xo.html George
When I am in Refine Mask and ask it to "output to: New layer with Layer Mask" it does not change the back ground. My original background stays like I did not change anything. I've done it a few times and has worked. The only difference this time is I'm using the Polygonal tool instead of the regular lasso. Would this make a difference?
Hi Heather, the background layer will not change. You will get a new layer with the background removed. As soon as that happens just hide the original background layer. The choice of selection tools makes no difference.
Hi Charles, Photoshop Elements 10 didn't have the Refine Edge tool so you will be unable to use that unless you upgrade to at least Elements version 13. The new Photoshop Elements 2019 is version 17. George
Hi George, after watching your videos I decided to buy the Photoshop Elements 2018. I had been hesitating between the subscription to Photoshop CC and the purchase of Elements. Your explanations are so clear, you make Elements so easy to learn that I decided to buy the Elements and avoid the hassle of subscriptions (so many negative comments on internet that make you doubt). I installed the program and started practicing (the dog background) right away. However, is there a way of making the fonts in the menus a bit bigger? The menus, the fonts, everything is so tiny!. Can you help please? Thanks!
Hi Lisette, sounds like you have a large format monitor. There are a couple of things you can do to improve the display. Open the Edit Menu and click on Preferences. The first tab that opens is the General tab, on the left side click on Display & Cursors, at the bottom of this section there is a drop down for UI Scale Factor, set that at 200% and see if that helps. Now for the font list display move down to Type in the same Preferences dialog box, the bottom option is for Font Preview Size, I always keep mine set to Huge for these videos but there are several options, pick the one you like best. George
Hi George, thanks for the tip! I changed the size to 200 however I think 150 would've been perfect but unfortunately it's not available. I am now practicing with your videos, (mostly learning of course); sometimes it's slightly different but I manage to find the way. Do you have a video on how to print the images after fixing them? my images look great on the screen but when I print they look horribly different (I have played with the sharpness, brightness and contrast, etc until I see a nice image. I have also checked all the printer properties, but no. I have 2 HP inkjet printers. The envy 4500 seems to do better than the OfficeJet 4650 which I purchased recently. (I so much regret that...) and their customer service is horrible. Any hint you can give me will be appreciated. :)
Hi Lisette, Adobe really needs to do a better job of handling different sized monitors, their flagship Adobe Photoshop is just as limited on options. With printers I recommend always working in at least 300 ppi for the image resolution, you can check and/or adjust this in the Edit menu under Image Size. On actual printers, I have had the best results using Canon Photo printers, currently I have a Canon TS 9120 which does a great job. Also using Glossy Photo paper makes a huge difference in print quality. Keep in mind that your computer monitor and a printer use entirely different methods of displaying the image, the monitor is basically a backlit projection (transmitted light) and the printer is of course ink on white paper (reflective light). This alone will make a difference in the results, also printers cannot print bright colors as well as monitors will display them, you won't be able to get a good bright green off of a printer and reds will not be as vibrant both of which are limitations caused by blending inks to get color. Whenever you mix two or more inks it will dull down the resulting color, with red most printers blend yellow and magenta, so hard to get a good bright red. Same thing with green which is mixing yellow, blue, and sometimes red depending on the green needed which means you can't get a good bright green either. On monitors getting bright colors is easy, not so much on printers. So basically prints will look duller and less exciting than the same image viewed on a monitor. Boosting contrast and vibrancy can help. George
Hi Kelly, you need to remove the selection from inside those enclosed areas before using Refine Edge. Here is a video that shows removing an enclosed area: th-cam.com/video/c8amKiefNps/w-d-xo.html George
Great video! I have run into one issue I can't seem to figure out (I'm a newbie!) When I open the photo I want to use as my new background, It opens as a whole new tab, which prevents me from dragging the new background in. I'm assuming there is a siple setting in Photoshop that I am missing? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Hi Robert, check out this video on how to set up floating document windows in Photoshop Elements th-cam.com/video/X26Ga4j4O9w/w-d-xo.html George howtogurus.com
So I am using a trial version of Photoshop Elements. I don't see all the tools. How do I upload all those tools on Elements? I fully intend to purchase this at the trial period but some things are a mystery.
First make sure that you are in the Editor and not the Organizer. Then at the top, just under the menus you will see 3 tabs, Quick, Guided, and Expert. Click on Expert to see all the tools.
Great tutorial. Just 2 points to add. First, if you have just installed photoshop elements (2021) then the setting for docking vs. floating windows in expert mode is off by default, as shown in this authors other video, at th-cam.com/video/X26Ga4j4O9w/w-d-xo.html where you have to check a box in edit->preferences -> general : [x] allow floating in expert - and the one below it if you want to re-dock the window later (this second one was already on by default in my 2021 version). In this video, the author shows a floating window after loading the new background. This is needed as explained in the video mentioned above in order to drag/drop the layer from the new background into the working project (the one with the dog and the masking layer). In this video, that drag is done quite quickly and I had to play it a few times to see it, and I only knew to look for it by watching the dock/float video, where the author explains that as a reason you want a floating window. Otherwise, with both windows docked, you can't do that. But that aside, great tutorial. I haven't a clue how "refine edge" really works, but it's sure a cool tool.
Thanks Zorro! And thanks for the nice clarification for those who are having problems with this. There are of course several ways to get one image into another, I just think the drag n drop is the easiest. If you have the photo bin open at the bottom of the screen you can do the same thing there by dragging from the photo bin into your project file. You can also go to the new image, do Select All, Copy, then go to the project video and do Paste.
I only have one layer. seems like you didn't show us how top get the other layers that you show that is why I imagine the bottom part was greyed out when I was done cleaning the edge
I've never seen the output choices grayed out in Refine Edge. Basically though the process is this: Open your image, use a selection tool to make a selection around the subject, use Refine Edge to clean up the selection if needed, Output to New Layer with Layer Mask, bring in a new photo below the new layer (that can be done by dragging n dropping, or by using the Place command in File menu
That's the Tool Options, second button from the left on the bottom. And here is how to get the floating windows th-cam.com/video/X26Ga4j4O9w/w-d-xo.html
Hi Jenny, not exactly sure what you are asking. Are you talking about the image mask that shows while using the Refine Edge Tool or are you talking about green in the image? George
The image mask.. It seems when I tried what you suggested, my brush was very large and it was of the same color as the image. I'm confused. Couldn't get the image refined at all!
Hi Jenny, here are some other projects where I use the Refine Edge tool. Maybe after watching these it will become more clear. th-cam.com/video/sQ5kI-Dltik/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/Dtu_gPY_j7k/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/YKG0YrUgql4/w-d-xo.html George
Hi Jenny, I have the purchased version of Photoshop Elements 2018 and the subscription version of Adobe Photoshop CC 2018. In both cases that is the only way Adobe sells those programs. Basically I keep my software up to date with the latest version no matter how it is sold. On the Adobe Photoshop side of things even though I have the latest Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 installed on my system I usually use the older Photoshop CS6 because it just runs faster. With the subscription to Adobe CC I have had no issues with that and it is nice that the programs are always up to date, no need to worry about doing a yearly update or bothering with purchasing the newest version when it comes out. That is all handled automatically by Adobe. George
First check the Smart Radius box in Refine Edge. Then change the view to Black and White so you can see just the mask, now use the Contrast slider to bring down the amount of ghosting around the edge. Then save to layer mask. Now click the layer mask side of the layer and if it isn't sharp enough for you yet you can increase the contrast of the layer mask. Refine Edge isn't perfect in most cases and will need a bit of touch up after making the mask.
Thank you for blazing fast response. I just used a different selection tool and made a very accurate selection (more time consuming) and then used the 'Refine Edge' tool. It's not my channels graphic art.
Was with you until I pulled in another image. Could not drag it into the original, edited image. Said source was same. Also, my image had no header to drag to the layers column. It did populate that column and said background but would not let me drag that layer. What am I not doing?
Hi James, it sounds like you are trying to pull the original image back into an edited version of the same image. To do this you should do a Save As of the edited version to a new name, you will then be working with 2 images instead of 2 versions of the same image. Always a good idea anyway to either open a new file and pull your images into that new file, or save the file you opened to a new name. This way you are never working on the original which will keep it safe in case something goes wrong. George
This isn’t working for me - I have cut the image (my head) and when I open the new image / layer / background - I can’t drag it onto my original layer and it’s like it’s starting a new layer - the cut out and the background image won’t talk to each other - really annoying
You don't want to be using image/layer/background. What that does is convert a regular layer into the background layer but everything is still in the same file. You need to use File/Open to open your other background image. Or you can also use File/Place to "place" your other image into your working project.
How To Gurus thank you so much for taking the time to get back to me - it’s just a simple task of putting my head on a different image - I’ll take a look again tomorrow !
George, great video on a tool I hesitate to use. Never had much luck with refined edge until this week. I think the main issue is I was trying to make it work on some very complicated selections. For me, I do a lot of landscape and the problem is usually trying to change the sky or more often when I am trying to work several parts of different photos together. The toughest selection I face would involve getting around all those leaves on many different trees so the new sunlight or new sky can show through. I would compare this to your issue with the hair in the photo of the lady. I did stumble onto a technique that does give me some success getting around the leaves. What I do is make my refine edge tool very large like 350 px and then try making a selection that covers a much of the stuff I want to select as well as some of the outside area. What happens is as the parameters of my area get larger the distinction seems to get more obvious to the refined edge tool. I then clean up any missed areas with a slightly smaller brush 200 px or 100 px. I don't know if this would be good enough to meet your standard but I was surprised at how far I got by doing this. Another idea would be to make the selected photo into a black in white and kick up the contrast, copy and move the layer mask up to the original or copy of the original in full color and garbage can the black and white layer. Some food for thought. Still, in the experimental stage with this tool, it is amazing when it works well. Thank you, George Rich
Oh yes one other note, if you use the larger brush method to separate sky and leaves, sometimes the refined edge tool with think you are selecting the sky area! This is fine for me if this happens, I just inverse the selection and I am good to go. Hope some of this works. (See what happens when you leave a freshman all alone in the science lab??!!!) Rich
Thanks Rich! Great tip, I will give it a try. As you have probably found out the success possible with the Refine Edge tool depends a lot on the original image. Sometimes I will just use the polygonal lasso tool with out the refine edge. Sometimes I will use other techniques like using the threshold filter to create a straight black/white image to use as a mask. Again, depends on the image. Here are a couple of other examples on creating layer masks, I know you have seen these so these links are for everyone else reading these comments: th-cam.com/video/AOgdVVUAGHY/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/UPxaSqvIJnY/w-d-xo.html George
ROFLOL!!!! I still lick the ends of those wires before I connect things. Don't think about getting a life insurance policy on me either, you will have to wait, that line goes around the building too! Rich
I am having issues with refine edge part of the procedure, the entire image is orange, not just the back ground.. i have tried on JPG and PDF files. Please advise what i am doing wrong,
Hi Tracey, sounds like you didn't make a selection first. The Refine Edge tool refines the edge of an existing selection. So first using the Lasso Tool make a selection completely around the subject, then with that selection active go to the Refine Edge tool George
➡ Check out my New Tool that makes learning Photoshop Elements Super Easy! Here is my video about it on my HTG Photo channel th-cam.com/video/-cJ2AviZNI8/w-d-xo.html
I just want to thank you for your tutorials. You are a great teacher, I have been watching others and by far you are the best..Thank you again.
You're welcome!
This tutorial was super helpful. Thanks for posting it. Everyone has their own favorite way to do things in Photoshop Elements, but yours made the most sense. My photo was more complicated than your example, but with your instructions combined with what I had already fumbled through on my own I was able to finish a project that is the first of many to come. I'll be able to complete the next batch of edits with more speed and confidence. Thank you!
You're welcome! Glad I could help.
I just want to thank you for taking the time to make this video .... so helpful to me .... and just wanted to add my note of gratitude and send all my best wishes for you in the new year ....
Thanks David, and a Happy New Year!
George
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Awesome tutorial
Thanks!
Brilliant tutorial. I spent ages using the eraser tool in the past but this is far moe accurate and faster.
Glad you liked it!
I find your tutorials very thorough and helpful. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise. Of all the tutorials I have been watching, yours are the best.
You are welcome Sandra, and thank you for the compliment.
George
Thank You Sir.
Welcome!
Yay! thank you very much for making tNice tutorials video! Very helpful!
No worries!
Thank you for your wonderful video! I am almost 70 and this I can understand. ty ty t y
You are so welcome!
This was a great tutorial! Well spoken and easy to understand!.......thanks!!!
You're welcome Ted
George
it worked! thank you!
You're welcome!
Just followed your instructions for Photoshop Elements 2022. Worked like a charm. The only difference that I found, is "Refine Edge" is just a button at the bottom of the screen on 2022, rather than in the "Select" option at the top. Other than that, it was pretty straight forward. Thanks for the video.
Hi, the Refine Edge is both places, a button at the bottom in the Select Options panel and in the Select Menu. I often show menus instead of buttons to clarify the tool.
Another Fantastic Video George Thanks
You're welcome!
George
FINALLY someone has explained this properly. You have just saved me many, many hours of trying to delete backgrounds with the eraser tool. Thank you.
You're welcome!
George
More Great Photoshop Elements videos th-cam.com/play/PLfp-NJt_DpgHj4WeYhRprHBS5NfKhGVHo.html
Photoshop Elements Top Ten Tips th-cam.com/video/4UrJ6k4aJZY/w-d-xo.html
So Great!!!
Thanks!
George
Thank you.
You're welcome!
Thank God I discovered you!!!
Thanks Jackie!
George
I have to agree! Kudos and what have you to the creator.
Thanks Bent!
George
I've referred back to this video sooo many times! Thank you for making it!!!
You're welcome Ron!
Great tutorial. Thank you so much.
You're very welcome!
@@HTGGeorge You should also do a PS Elements video on how to remove glare from glasses as they seem to be scarce at the moment. The only tutorials that there are drag on and are too long winded.
Depending on the photo removing glare from glasses can be either impossible or extremely hard. The problem is you need to replace the missing image information from somewhere. You can't just remove the glare.
Great videos. Does your complete PE 2021 Course have all the subjects similar to what was covered on this and other videos? I'd also like to add signatures to my pix. Does your course teach this technique?
Hi Larry, my TH-cam videos teach specific projects, the course teaches the program. So it is a different approach. Here is a video on placing watermarks on photos th-cam.com/video/5HK3JnZ2pz4/w-d-xo.html
Hello George. As regards my problem with Lasso Tool & Space Bar, i have now got it and changed a background so due to your video all is now OK. ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU.
You're welcome Robin, glad to hear you figured it out.
George
Excellent video , thank you.
You're welcome
George
Again you make it all look so easy, George. And yes, replacing the background is straightforward enough. However, with me it's always the lasso tool - polygonal or otherwise - combined with the refine edge that I continue to have problems with. Maybe, just maybe I'll get there eventually, but at the moment it is a source of irritating frustration!
Hi Peter, the problem with the Refine Edge tool is that it only works effectively about half of the time. If you replace the background with something else that is similar in color it is better. Works great if you are just using the refine edge to separate out the foreground subject so that you can blur the background. In that instance the foreground and background colors match so you won't see any haloing effects. Any picture can be masked out using the right combination of tools, the real question often comes down to "is it worth it?". The best thing is to try and use a new background that is similar in color and values to the removed background, replace a bad sky with a good sky for instance. The thing with the refine edge tool is that it will add a slight fringe to the edge of the selection, that is just how it works, so you need to deal with that fringe somehow. In my Green Screen video I use the color replace tool to change the color of that fringe to match the color of the foreground subject. In other videos I have darkened down that fringe using the Burn tool. All depends on the image and the new background.
George
Hi I have enjoyed watching your video, I'm thinking of getting PSE 2021 as my PS is very old and basic. One thing I was wondering was when you remove the background from the dog, can you save a copy of the dog on a transparent background for future use in other images?
Sure, either save the file as a psd file (the default format for Photoshop Elements) so that you save it as a layer. Or save the file as a png file with transparency, that can be used in other programs.
Yes it can - don't despair!
Yes!
Get My New Photoshop Elements 2023 Course www.georgepeirson.com/Photoshop-Elements-2023
Wow! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to try it.
You're welcome Laurie
George
howtogurus.com
A very good lesson to introduce us to background removal...thank you very much. Very informative.
You're welcome Gene!
George
howtogurus.com
Gosh George you make that look so easy... I have a dog that has wild hair when she was pup and I have tried numerous times to do the refine edge and I just can't get it... I'll take your suggestion and keep on practicing. Thanks for another cool video.
Hi Debra, to make the Refine Edge work well you need good separation between the foreground subject and the background. That isn't always possible and the Refine Edge does not always work well. Here is another video to take a look at that deals with fur and has a little trick that may help you with your dog. th-cam.com/video/Dtu_gPY_j7k/w-d-xo.html
George
Finally! Someone I can follow.....
Thanks Tim
George
Thank you ! First time trying changing background and I am really happy 😊!
You're welcome! Welcome to the world of photo editing.
George
Another Fantastic Video George cheers
Thanks Jackie!
George
thank you, you are so easy to follow
You're welcome Toni
George
Hi George. Great video. But I was wondering what causes the dog's white fur to turn green along the throat and how you correct it.
The green along the edge is bleed through from the original green background. The easiest thing to do with white fur is to just desaturate the edge using the sponge tool, turning that green into gray which is unnoticeable.
So, I followed the steps (just want to learn some basics here but will for sure subscribe to your PSE course!). I followed steps to remove background, did the refine and it worked perfectly (so easy to follow), but I have two additional areas on the image that need the same treatment. (spaces between hands). Help me out here so I can get the basics down on this one image?
Hi, here is a video where I make a selection around an object, then I extend that selection into an interior space. th-cam.com/video/c8amKiefNps/w-d-xo.html
This was so awesome and helpful!! Thank you!! I do have a question. My background that I opened into the background was not big enough just as your background wasn't. In the video, you made the dragged the edges of the background. My background automatically attached to the background and won't allow me to stretch it until it fits the picture background. What am I doing wrong?
Use the ctrl+T keyboard shortcut to bring up the control handles on your new background, then you can stretch to fit.
@@HTGGeorge thank you so much!!
Thank you so much ! I should of watched your video along time ago ! It's Fantastic !
You're welcome Patricia!
George
I have a document in image format. How can I do to extract only the fonts without the white background?
Take a look at this video on how to remove the white background th-cam.com/video/Ni_vu8pNHtc/w-d-xo.html
It is a great video. Thanks
You're Welcome Eileen
George
Excellent explanation. Thank"s 'George
You're welcome
George
Very useful. I have been looking for some time to find a tutorial that explains removing backgrounds. Nothing has come close to your tutorial, many thanks.
You're welcome Phil, This is a good basic tutorial on one of the most useful tricks in image editing. Loads of my videos use some variation on removing/replacing backgrounds. This time I thought I would limit it to just the technique so that I could give it proper attention.
George
www.howtogurus.com
I found your approach very interesting but in some of your presentation I, instead of painful initial lasso tool, use Select /Object then Select/Modify (expanded by 10 pixels). After that I use Select/Refine Edge (size 30). The following steps are exactly the same as you suggests.
The Select Object tool is a great new feature, but this video is aimed at all users of Photoshop Elements, not just the people who have the latest version. I tend to stay away from new features in my videos for that specific reason, because most people don't have the latest version.
@@HTGGeorge You do not need to explain yourself. I am not criticizing just the opposite. I think you a great teacher, and I really appreciate your videos and training. I hope, however, you are not against a student, like me, sharing a tool or an idea or a hint useful for other users. BTW I noticed that the video was published in 2017 when probably the Select Object option was not available.
@@richardchelstowski2191 Thanks Richard, I often do longer explanations in my comment replies for the large number of people who read the comments. I love to hear tips and suggestions in the comments and I usually just say Thanks! but I felt that your comment could have scared off a beginning user who didn't have the latest version of Photoshop Elements, so I was just reassuring the audience that I try to keep my videos backwards compatible. I did a video on the Select Subject tool late last year.
@@HTGGeorge And I thank you for not using the newest tools in your tutorials, since I am still using PSE 13. Thank you for keeping your videos backwards compatible.
Richard Chelstowski: Are you using Elements, which version? Your method sounds like something I might want to try but I would have to upgrade. Thanks.
I have elements 13 (Premier). Do you have a video explaining how to remove a background from a video?
Sorry, no. I don't have any videos for that.
Hi George, I loved this video and checked out your courses. I just purchased Photoshop Elements 2021 and I'm wondering if you will offer a course for it? Or will the PE 2020 course be close enough?
Hi Doris, good timing. I am coming out with my new PSE 2021 training course in less than a week.
Hi George, do you offer your training videos other than in DVD? the link below will only allow me to pick the DVD's
Hi Bonnie, that link is for the online version
Thanks for all your hard work. One suggestion, when you state a preference, like the choice of the orange overlay, it helps my understanding of the software to know your reasons for that preference. I also must confess I don't get how the refine edge works. Actually layer masks in general. I don't get how the program knows to ignore the dog's hair in this case and hide the space in between. I'm guessing it is something simple but still I'm not getting it.
Hi Tim, my choice of the orange overlay is just a personal preference. Refine Edge looks for hard edge changes in color and contrast. It doesn't know that it is a dog or that it is hair. But the Refine Edge in Adobe Photoshop does understand that stuff as it has AI which was trained with millions of photos to understand what is in a photo. Layer Masks are easy, think of it as a pane of glass. If the glass is painted black you can't see through it, the white would be clear, and any level of gray is the same thing as thinning out the black paint until you can begin to see through it. Nothing more complicated than that.
Thanks for the instructions. I have PSE 2020 and followed your steps but when I get to the new layer with mask my original picture stays the same I don't have the gray and white grid behind it, but it does show in my layer tool bar that I have a masked layer...hope that makes sense...haha. Could you please tell me what I did incorrectly?
Hi Laura, I am guessing that you have both layers showing. The original background layer and the new duplicated layer with the layer mask. Try hiding the background layer.
@@HTGGeorge Thank you that worked. So many steps to learn, but it will keep my brain from getting bored...haha.
George,
Thank you for your excellent videos, I am learning a lot from you! Can you please tell me, how do you change the background in multiple areas? I've got a photo that has a couple of little areas (the subject has her hands on her hips) that I'm unsure of how to work. I appreciate any help you can give me!
I also subscribe to your PSE2021 training if the answer if found there.
Thanks!
Hi Diane, it is all done when you are making the original selection. After doing the selection around the subject change the setting for the selection tool in the options panel below the picture to Subtract and use the same tool to outline the area you want to remove from the selection. Once that is done you can then do the Refine Edge bit. This video shows that th-cam.com/video/Kx4rWQLOnzo/w-d-xo.html
@@HTGGeorge Thank you so very much!!
@@dianeprewitt6339 You're welcome!
George, Great tutorial on using the refine edge tool. It's a real game changer when making selections. I have a question which is unrelated to this tutorial, but perhaps you may have a tutorial in your playlist that I couldn't seem to find. It's related to the image of the dog; more specifically the green under the dog's chin. I have several dog images with the same exact green tone under the dog's chin. Is this what is known as a color cast? If so, do you have a tutorial how to remove a color cast? If not, perhaps that could be a subject for a future tutorial.
Roger
Thanks Roger! on the green picked up from the grass in the photo, that is pretty easy to fix. I don't have a video on that specific problem with a dog like this but I do have a video on removing a green screen from behind a person which does show how to correct for the green spill onto the subject (basically same problem with the dog). Look towards the end of the video after the background has been removed. th-cam.com/video/LlRJPHmMrH8/w-d-xo.html
George
George, I just watched your video from the link above and I believe I should be able to fix my dog images with the suggestions you provided in the tutorial.
Thanks,
Roger
: )
Hi George. I picked up a little better understanding about the refine edge tool from this tutorial. Thanks. And thanks for letting us with PSE know there are certain situations where the refine edge tool will not work, even for a skilled master of PSE like you.
After watching many of your tutorials with the lasso tool and after watching InfoPuppet's tutorial using the magnetic lasso tool, I was wondering if you could do a tutorial when it is best to use the regular lasso tool, the magnetic lasso tool and the polygonal lasso tool. I have seen you use the regular and polygonal lasso tools but never the magnetic lasso tool. Are there any situations you would use the magnetic lasso tool?
Hi, I stay away from the magnetic lasso tool because I have never had an instance where it did a good job. It is a cool idea but you need a perfect photo for it to work, good contrast and color separation between foreground and background images. It also tends to round out corners. I use the regular lasso tool for quick selections where I plan to finish it with refine edge, I use the polygonal lasso tool when that will be my final selection or where the subject has lots of straight edges. The magnetic lasso is one of those "auto" tools in Photoshop Elements that are designed to make things easier. I prefer tools that make things better, don't really care about easier. That is also why you will rarely see me using one of the Guided Edit features either, except where there is no choice like the Panorama tool or the new Custom Frame tool.
George
Great video thank you. I have same issue as SJ Owen and also, when I place my edited image over another image in 'pages' it has a grey edge around which doesn't look great.
Hi Richard, the "fringing" or "halo" effect is due to picking up some of the background right around the subject as you remove the background. There are several ways to fix this, one is to make your feathering smaller on your selection. Whenever you feather a selection it blurs the selection both in and out from the selection and this can pick up some background. Here is a video where I talk about this problem: th-cam.com/video/xsJISxF_k4I/w-d-xo.html
George
Great, thanks a lot!
You're welcome Mike!
George
howtogurus.com
thank you
You're welcome
George, great video I have just acquired the product and followed your instructions to the T. The problem that I have is that when I selected the "Refine Edge" /view option / Overlay my photo color has now changed to total red! Why would this be and how do I fix this? I cannot attach a screenshot else I would have shown you what it did!
Hi Jakkie, the red look is the layer mask shown as a red overlay. This is the way I normally work with Refine Edge as it makes it easy to see where the layer mask is being applied and is how I show it in the video. But you don't have to use the red overlay if you don't want to, there is a drop down list at the top of the Refine Edge dialog box that lets you view the layer mask in several different ways.
George
@@HTGGeorge Hi George, thank you for the feedback I appreciate it. Regards, Jakkie
Great tutorial, really helped me, thank you.
You're welcome Sarah
Good Morning! In using the refine edge tool, I occasionally get a "ghost" effect - leaving a faded version of the area I am trying to erase. Thoughts?
Hi Veniece, the refine edge tool isn't perfect and it often has trouble on edges that are too similar to the background. But you can easily clean up the layer mask once it is made. Just click on the layer mask side of the layer, look for a light blue outline around the layer mask to show that it is selected, then use black or white paintbrush to adjust the mask. Black hides, and White shows. You can also make the layer mask full screen by holding down the alt key and clicking on the layer mask in the layer menu. To get back out of the layer mask just click on a different layer.
Really helpful video, thanks.. I've search for this long time.. I just have a quas. when i did al this .. how can i move this element that i just remove in other corner or somewhere else?
Thanks, Taša
Hi Sasa, since the dog with the clear background is on its own separate layer, just move it around where you like by using the Move tool (upper left corner in tool bar)
George
George. I’m thinking of buying Photoshop Element (not Premier). Can I do this with that software or I have to get Premier? Thanks
Hi, this video is demonstrated in Photoshop Elements, no need for Premiere Elements. The Premiere Elements software program is Adobe's Video Editing partner for Photoshop Elements. It is a very nice video editor but not needed unless you do video editing.
George
Cheers George.
Is this the same principle for removing the background of text that you created in photoshop elements? Do you have a tutorial based on removing the background from text?
Thanks in advance.
Hi, when you create text in Photoshop Elements it goes on its own layer with no background. So to remove the background simply hide the background layer by clicking on that eye icon on the background layer.
George
@@HTGGeorge thank you George. Much appreciated
Excellent video. A really clear explanation. Thanks. 🙂
You're welcome Jim
George
Is this for all the Photoshop elements programs?
Hi, this video uses Refine Edge to help make the layer mask. Refine Edge first appeared in Photoshop Elements 13 so this video will work with Photoshop Elements 13 and newer.
George.
The tutorial was very helpful. My question is can the photo without the background be copied to a word document. If so, how is it done?
Yes, save the image as a PNG with transparency (that is the default). Then import the PNG file into Word.
I am using PSE 2019 but your 2017 video still comes top in a TH-cam search for removing backgrounds in PSE! I am finding that Refine Edge is doing something different and I can't work out if that is a setting I am missing or a change in how the software works. Using the Refine Edge tool, I have checked that the visible settings are the same as yours and when I stroke the brush to extend my selection area the background area correctly increases size where the brush has covered. However, when I take my finger off the mouse button, that increase is lost. What am I missing please?
Many thanks for the video and your follow up help! Nick
Hi Nick, this is a very popular video so it places well on TH-cam. When using the Refine Edge tool what you are doing with the brush is telling Photoshop Elements where you want it to re-examine the edge. It will not be putting the edge where you are painting but it will find what it considers the correct edge somewhere within where you painted with the brush. Often times though the Refine Edge is not the correct tool to use, depends on the photo. It worked out well with the image in the project and often is a great tool, but it doesn't always work well. Take a look through my Playlist on changing backgrounds, you will see several different techniques and one of them may work better for you than the Refine Edge tool th-cam.com/play/PLfp-NJt_DpgEo3RRzfzSLZZCyNZhdLfle.html
George
I love the dog
Thanks! I found that dog picture on pixabay.com, it is a great free image source site
Nice! Thank you!
You're welcome!
George
Hi George, after cutting out the background, how can I save the image to be used in another layered template and add it to that as a new layer? Thank you.
Hi Derrick, if the image is on one layer then you can simply use the Select menu to Select All, then Edit/Copy. Now open up your other file and Edit/Paste
Very useful. Thanks.
You're welcome
George
Hello George. Please can you tell me why when using the Lasso Tool my marquees return to the start when i have to stop and hold down my space bar down and restart after moving my picture about.
Hi Robin, keep the mouse key held down then hold down the space bar to temporarily get the hand tool to move the picture around. Then let go of the space bar and you are back to the lasso tool. If you lift up on the mouse button the lasso selection will automatically close itself back to the beginning, so keep that mouse button held down the whole time until you complete the selection.
George
Thank you...very hepful!!!
You're welcome!
George
howtogurus.com
Hi, very informative and have learnt a lot! However, the refine edge tool does not eliminate - it leaves part of it still there no matter how many times I go over it. The settings are the same as in your demo - any suggestions? Thank you
Hi Helen, the Refine Edge tool is not perfect, it looks for differences in color and contrast to find the edges. If your edge is similar to the background Refine Edge can have trouble cleaning up that edge. One trick you can use which sometimes works is to make a duplicate layer of your image and increase the contrast on that layer to make the edge more distinct, use Refine Edge on that layer and output to a Selection. Then move to your desired layer and hit the Layer Mask button, that will make a layer mask from the selection. There will be times though when Refine Edge will simply not be able to fix part of an edge, when that happens you will need to go in and manually fix that part. I like to make the Layer Mask first then do this type of cleanup on the Layer Mask.
George
This is really a great video! But I must be doing something wrong. I had already made a lot of adjustments to my image in the layers panel before starting the process in this video. I made a composite layer and worked from that. When I got to the end and selected "New Layer with Mask" it did not create a transparent background. Maybe I need to flatten my image first instead of making a composite layer and starting the process in this video? Do you think that is why it did not make a transparent background at the end? Thanks so much! (I'm using PSE 13)
Make sure you hide the layers below your new composite layer. If you add transparency to the composite layer you will now be seeing the layers underneath.
Really helpful!
Thank You!
George
Do you have a to Tutorial on color separation layering like you would use for silkscreening
Sorry no. I don't have any videos on doing color separations for silkscreening
George
How To Gurus Thank you do you recommend any tutorial I would have something like that
Hi Lencho, sorry, nothing like that. With Silkscreen you need to separate out the image into several Black and White images, one for each color needed. If you are using custom ink colors then you can do that in Photoshop Elements by using the Magic Wand and Layer Masks and making a new layer for each color then converting those layers into Black and White and printing out each one separately as a transparency. But if you want to reproduce Photos or you want to use the standard CMYK inks you will need to use a more advanced program like Adobe Photoshop which has the ability to separate the image out into its different color channels and has CMYK mode.
George
How To Gurus thank u
: )
Great tutorial. My problem in doing this is some of the pictures I'm trying to remove background from have shadows and the software thinks the shadow is part of the picture. Remove shadow = remove picture. I just don't have enough experience to deal with this.
The solution then is to manually make a careful selection of the subject, don't rely on Photoshop Elements automated tools or the magic wand. Use the polygonal lasso instead.
@@HTGGeorge I will give that a try this evening. Thank you. I sure appreciate the feedback. I will be checking out more of your videos. I mostly deal with padlocks and keys far as photos go for use in thumbnails for my videos
@@AlbertLebel Check out this video I posted yesterday, it shows how to use the polygonal lasso tool along with refine edge to remove a background.
@@HTGGeorge Awesome, thank you. I will check it out now. Just don't tell my boss what I'm doing. 🤐
@@AlbertLebel Here's an online tool that might be worth checkout out th-cam.com/video/2eyHW_LGXDo/w-d-xo.html
Really, really helpful, thank you! I am working on a project with products, what is the technique if you do not want a back ground at all just the image, jpeg? I have Photoshop elements 13 :)
Thank you in advance!!!!
Hi, first just take the project through where you remove the original background. Then you will need to save to a GIF or PNG file format. JPEG does not support transparency and will fill that with white.
George
That worked perfectly!!!! Thank you so much!!!!
thanks. but how you save after all done?
Hi, use Save in the File Menu to save to the default Photoshop Elements file. And then use Save As to save to a different format if you need to. Of course you can always print right from the Photoshop Elements file as well.
George
TNX BROW I LEARNED ALOTS LUV LUV KISS
You're welcome Kikay
George
Hi George, if not replacing background can the picture be saved just with the transparent background? Thank you for the video
Sure Tracy, just save to a format that supports transparency like Gif or PNG. Saving to a JPG will replace the transparency with your current background color.
George
How To Gurus thanks George not sure if I was using the edge refine correctly, but on some areas there was some of the background left once I went around. Is this where the refine edge would not work?
Hi Tracy, the Refine Edge tool is not perfect and I usually use that as only one of my techniques when creating a Layer Mask. Here is another video showing how to change a background. th-cam.com/video/YKG0YrUgql4/w-d-xo.html
George
This was very helpful. Now I just have to work on technique.
Thanks!
George
howtogurus.com
When I am in Refine Mask and ask it to "output to: New layer with Layer Mask" it does not change the back ground. My original background stays like I did not change anything. I've done it a few times and has worked. The only difference this time is I'm using the Polygonal tool instead of the regular lasso. Would this make a difference?
Hi Heather, the background layer will not change. You will get a new layer with the background removed. As soon as that happens just hide the original background layer. The choice of selection tools makes no difference.
@@HTGGeorge my layers don't give me a option to select a new layer they are greyed out
@@tatortotpup1 Are you using a template or is this a file you made?
How do I get the photo to practice on it?
The link for project files is in the description, just click on SHOW MORE and you will see it
Great video for more practice, George! My refine edge tool is working much better with your videos and technique. Thanks!
You're welcome John, when the refine edge tool works it is a marvel.
George
I have PhotoShop Elements 10 not sure how to do the refine edge. I'm not able to refine it like you did... Help!
Hi Charles, Photoshop Elements 10 didn't have the Refine Edge tool so you will be unable to use that unless you upgrade to at least Elements version 13. The new Photoshop Elements 2019 is version 17.
George
Hi George, after watching your videos I decided to buy the Photoshop Elements 2018. I had been hesitating between the subscription to Photoshop CC and the purchase of Elements. Your explanations are so clear, you make Elements so easy to learn that I decided to buy the Elements and avoid the hassle of subscriptions (so many negative comments on internet that make you doubt). I installed the program and started practicing (the dog background) right away. However, is there a way of making the fonts in the menus a bit bigger? The menus, the fonts, everything is so tiny!. Can you help please? Thanks!
Hi Lisette, sounds like you have a large format monitor. There are a couple of things you can do to improve the display. Open the Edit Menu and click on Preferences. The first tab that opens is the General tab, on the left side click on Display & Cursors, at the bottom of this section there is a drop down for UI Scale Factor, set that at 200% and see if that helps. Now for the font list display move down to Type in the same Preferences dialog box, the bottom option is for Font Preview Size, I always keep mine set to Huge for these videos but there are several options, pick the one you like best.
George
Hi George, thanks for the tip! I changed the size to 200 however I think 150 would've been perfect but unfortunately it's not available. I am now practicing with your videos, (mostly learning of course); sometimes it's slightly different but I manage to find the way. Do you have a video on how to print the images after fixing them? my images look great on the screen but when I print they look horribly different (I have played with the sharpness, brightness and contrast, etc until I see a nice image. I have also checked all the printer properties, but no. I have 2 HP inkjet printers. The envy 4500 seems to do better than the OfficeJet 4650 which I purchased recently. (I so much regret that...) and their customer service is horrible. Any hint you can give me will be appreciated. :)
Hi Lisette, Adobe really needs to do a better job of handling different sized monitors, their flagship Adobe Photoshop is just as limited on options. With printers I recommend always working in at least 300 ppi for the image resolution, you can check and/or adjust this in the Edit menu under Image Size. On actual printers, I have had the best results using Canon Photo printers, currently I have a Canon TS 9120 which does a great job. Also using Glossy Photo paper makes a huge difference in print quality. Keep in mind that your computer monitor and a printer use entirely different methods of displaying the image, the monitor is basically a backlit projection (transmitted light) and the printer is of course ink on white paper (reflective light). This alone will make a difference in the results, also printers cannot print bright colors as well as monitors will display them, you won't be able to get a good bright green off of a printer and reds will not be as vibrant both of which are limitations caused by blending inks to get color. Whenever you mix two or more inks it will dull down the resulting color, with red most printers blend yellow and magenta, so hard to get a good bright red. Same thing with green which is mixing yellow, blue, and sometimes red depending on the green needed which means you can't get a good bright green either. On monitors getting bright colors is easy, not so much on printers. So basically prints will look duller and less exciting than the same image viewed on a monitor. Boosting contrast and vibrancy can help.
George
Thanks for all that info George! You have no idea how much I have learned thanks to your lessons!
How do you do this with a gap in the legs or arms?
Hi Kelly, you need to remove the selection from inside those enclosed areas before using Refine Edge. Here is a video that shows removing an enclosed area: th-cam.com/video/c8amKiefNps/w-d-xo.html
George
Great video! I have run into one issue I can't seem to figure out (I'm a newbie!) When I open the photo I want to use as my new background, It opens as a whole new tab, which prevents me from dragging the new background in. I'm assuming there is a siple setting in Photoshop that I am missing? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Hi Robert, check out this video on how to set up floating document windows in Photoshop Elements th-cam.com/video/X26Ga4j4O9w/w-d-xo.html
George
howtogurus.com
Awesome! Thank you so much!
You're welcome Robert
George
So I am using a trial version of Photoshop Elements. I don't see all the tools. How do I upload all those tools on Elements? I fully intend to purchase this at the trial period but some things are a mystery.
First make sure that you are in the Editor and not the Organizer. Then at the top, just under the menus you will see 3 tabs, Quick, Guided, and Expert. Click on Expert to see all the tools.
Great tutorial. Just 2 points to add. First, if you have just installed photoshop elements (2021) then the setting for docking vs. floating windows in expert mode is off by default, as shown in this authors other video, at th-cam.com/video/X26Ga4j4O9w/w-d-xo.html where you have to check a box in edit->preferences -> general : [x] allow floating in expert - and the one below it if you want to re-dock the window later (this second one was already on by default in my 2021 version).
In this video, the author shows a floating window after loading the new background. This is needed as explained in the video mentioned above in order to drag/drop the layer from the new background into the working project (the one with the dog and the masking layer). In this video, that drag is done quite quickly and I had to play it a few times to see it, and I only knew to look for it by watching the dock/float video, where the author explains that as a reason you want a floating window. Otherwise, with both windows docked, you can't do that.
But that aside, great tutorial. I haven't a clue how "refine edge" really works, but it's sure a cool tool.
Thanks Zorro! And thanks for the nice clarification for those who are having problems with this. There are of course several ways to get one image into another, I just think the drag n drop is the easiest. If you have the photo bin open at the bottom of the screen you can do the same thing there by dragging from the photo bin into your project file. You can also go to the new image, do Select All, Copy, then go to the project video and do Paste.
I only have one layer. seems like you didn't show us how top get the other layers that you show
that is why I imagine the bottom part was greyed out when I was done cleaning the edge
I've never seen the output choices grayed out in Refine Edge. Basically though the process is this: Open your image, use a selection tool to make a selection around the subject, use Refine Edge to clean up the selection if needed, Output to New Layer with Layer Mask, bring in a new photo below the new layer (that can be done by dragging n dropping, or by using the Place command in File menu
sorry to bother you but how do you get the information that is under the picture?
That's the Tool Options, second button from the left on the bottom. And here is how to get the floating windows th-cam.com/video/X26Ga4j4O9w/w-d-xo.html
How do I get the green background color while cutting and refining the edges?
Hi Jenny, not exactly sure what you are asking. Are you talking about the image mask that shows while using the Refine Edge Tool or are you talking about green in the image?
George
The image mask.. It seems when I tried what you suggested, my brush was very large and it was of the same color as the image. I'm confused. Couldn't get the image refined at all!
Did everything you said. Do you have a monthly or did you buy your Photoshop all in one?
Hi Jenny, here are some other projects where I use the Refine Edge tool. Maybe after watching these it will become more clear. th-cam.com/video/sQ5kI-Dltik/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/Dtu_gPY_j7k/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/YKG0YrUgql4/w-d-xo.html
George
Hi Jenny, I have the purchased version of Photoshop Elements 2018 and the subscription version of Adobe Photoshop CC 2018. In both cases that is the only way Adobe sells those programs. Basically I keep my software up to date with the latest version no matter how it is sold. On the Adobe Photoshop side of things even though I have the latest Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 installed on my system I usually use the older Photoshop CS6 because it just runs faster. With the subscription to Adobe CC I have had no issues with that and it is nice that the programs are always up to date, no need to worry about doing a yearly update or bothering with purchasing the newest version when it comes out. That is all handled automatically by Adobe.
George
In my case I get a lot of junk around the animal that can not be removed unless the layer is created and I use the eraser.
First check the Smart Radius box in Refine Edge. Then change the view to Black and White so you can see just the mask, now use the Contrast slider to bring down the amount of ghosting around the edge. Then save to layer mask. Now click the layer mask side of the layer and if it isn't sharp enough for you yet you can increase the contrast of the layer mask. Refine Edge isn't perfect in most cases and will need a bit of touch up after making the mask.
Thank you for blazing fast response. I just used a different selection tool and made a very accurate selection (more time consuming) and then used the 'Refine Edge' tool. It's not my channels graphic art.
@@AmazingWorlds314 Yep, the better the original selection, the better job Refine Edge will do. For an important picture it is worth taking the time.
thanks máster
You're welcome!
George
Was with you until I pulled in another image. Could not drag it into the original, edited image. Said source was same. Also, my image had no header to drag to the layers column. It did populate that column and said background but would not let me drag that layer. What am I not doing?
Hi James, it sounds like you are trying to pull the original image back into an edited version of the same image. To do this you should do a Save As of the edited version to a new name, you will then be working with 2 images instead of 2 versions of the same image. Always a good idea anyway to either open a new file and pull your images into that new file, or save the file you opened to a new name. This way you are never working on the original which will keep it safe in case something goes wrong.
George
This isn’t working for me - I have cut the image (my head) and when I open the new image / layer / background - I can’t drag it onto my original layer and it’s like it’s starting a new layer - the cut out and the background image won’t talk to each other - really annoying
You don't want to be using image/layer/background. What that does is convert a regular layer into the background layer but everything is still in the same file. You need to use File/Open to open your other background image. Or you can also use File/Place to "place" your other image into your working project.
How To Gurus thank you so much for taking the time to get back to me - it’s just a simple task of putting my head on a different image - I’ll take a look again tomorrow !
How To Gurus I’ll try that ! Thank you
@@Mrhandfriends You're welcome. Also take a look at my channel, I literally have hundreds of PSE videos there.
George, great video on a tool I hesitate to use. Never had much luck with refined edge until this week. I think the main issue is I was trying to make it work on some very complicated selections. For me, I do a lot of landscape and the problem is usually trying to change the sky or more often when I am trying to work several parts of different photos together. The toughest selection I face would involve getting around all those leaves on many different trees so the new sunlight or new sky can show through. I would compare this to your issue with the hair in the photo of the lady. I did stumble onto a technique that does give me some success getting around the leaves. What I do is make my refine edge tool very large like 350 px and then try making a selection that covers a much of the stuff I want to select as well as some of the outside area. What happens is as the parameters of my area get larger the distinction seems to get more obvious to the refined edge tool. I then clean up any missed areas with a slightly smaller brush 200 px or 100 px. I don't know if this would be good enough to meet your standard but I was surprised at how far I got by doing this. Another idea would be to make the selected photo into a black in white and kick up the contrast, copy and move the layer mask up to the original or copy of the original in full color and garbage can the black and white layer.
Some food for thought. Still, in the experimental stage with this tool, it is amazing when it works well.
Thank you, George
Rich
Oh yes one other note, if you use the larger brush method to separate sky and leaves, sometimes the refined edge tool with think you are selecting the sky area! This is fine for me if this happens, I just inverse the selection and I am good to go.
Hope some of this works. (See what happens when you leave a freshman all alone in the science lab??!!!)
Rich
Thanks Rich! Great tip, I will give it a try. As you have probably found out the success possible with the Refine Edge tool depends a lot on the original image. Sometimes I will just use the polygonal lasso tool with out the refine edge. Sometimes I will use other techniques like using the threshold filter to create a straight black/white image to use as a mask. Again, depends on the image. Here are a couple of other examples on creating layer masks, I know you have seen these so these links are for everyone else reading these comments:
th-cam.com/video/AOgdVVUAGHY/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/UPxaSqvIJnY/w-d-xo.html
George
Hey Rich, just don't blow up the lab, you know what a mess it was last time...
George
ROFLOL!!!! I still lick the ends of those wires before I connect things. Don't think about getting a life insurance policy on me either, you will have to wait, that line goes around the building too!
Rich
I am having issues with refine edge part of the procedure, the entire image is orange, not just the back ground.. i have tried on JPG and PDF files. Please advise what i am doing wrong,
Hi Tracey, sounds like you didn't make a selection first. The Refine Edge tool refines the edge of an existing selection. So first using the Lasso Tool make a selection completely around the subject, then with that selection active go to the Refine Edge tool
George
@@HTGGeorge Thanks I thought I did but perhaps i had a gap in the selection process, will try again